When he returned to Shanghai from Foochow, I was invited to visit the churches in Ping-Yang County of Chekiang province. Watchman encouraged me to go, so I went. In October of that year, he went to Hangchow for the fourth overcomer conference and I traveled there from Ping-Yang to attend the conference. Again, this was another glorious time!
During the conference at Hangchow, Watchman's mother and the eldest sister co-worker, Ruth Lee, both urged Watchman to get married during that conference time. They considered it to be a good time since all the co-workers from the entire country were present. Watchman agreed with the condition that I would be his best man and that Philip Luan would be master of ceremonies at the wedding. Sister Lee fellowshipped with both of us concerning this matter. We told her immediately that we would be more than happy to do what Watchman desired and felt honored to be asked by him.
At the wedding Mrs. Samuel Chang was the maid of honor. All the co-workers and local saints attended the wedding. It was a happy time for all of us.
Following the wedding I traveled to Chefoo for a rest. While I was there, the big turmoil against Watchman's marriage transpired. Since I had been best man and Philip Luan had been master of ceremonies, we two were considered to be the ones best qualified to bear responsibility for handling the situation. Hence, Brother Luan cabled me and charged me to return to Shanghai to care for the situation. Immediately I cabled Watchman with the word of Deuteronomy 23:5: "Jehovah your God turned the curse into a blessing for you." I arrived in Shanghai on New Year's Day 1935. Philip Luan and I, with the help of Peace Wang, did our best to calm down the turmoil. All of our efforts seemed in vain because of the strong attack from the opponents. Eventually, because of his sickness and tiredness, Philip Luan returned to his home in Hangchow to rest. This left me alone in that difficult situation.
During that trying period, one morning Watchman came to me with the newspaper of the day and said, "In my entire life I never saw a marriage publicly attacked by printing an open advertisement in large characters in the country's leading paper." He said this with much sorrow. After that, he left Shanghai and traveled to the southwestern provinces of China.
At the same time Ruth Lee departed from Shanghai to visit the central part of China. The only help I had came from Sister Peace Wang. The situation was becoming difficult. By the Lord's mercy, Sister Wang and I decided to know nothing, do nothing, and say nothing concerning this problem. We simply continued on positively with the meetings. Praise the Lord, eventually He gained the victory and brought us through.
Before Watchman left Shanghai, he did not say a word to me concerning the work there. But following his departure, I discovered from one of the elders that his instruction to them was that the responsibility of the work there had been committed to me.
After three or four months, Watchman returned, and by May of 1935, although the storm was still present, it had calmed somewhat. Then Ruth Lee suggested to me that since Watchman would not minister, we must find a way to urge him to minister. But regardless of how much we urged him, he would not minister. Then one day Ruth said to me, "Let us beg him to hold a study with us on the Song of Songs." We therefore went to tell him that we were really eager to know the Song of Songs, and we asked him to accompany us to West Lake in Hangchow for a couple of weeks' rest and at the same time to have a study with us on the Song of Songs. He was happy about it and did it. Only four brothers and three sisters, who were all co-workers, went and stayed with him. The studies given by him at that time are now published in the book entitled The Song of Songs. Again, I received great help through these studies in the stages and turns of life. After that, Watchman began to minister regularly again.
From 1933, when Watchman returned from his trip to visit the Brethren in England, the Brethren had written us several letters concerning our fellowship with them. Up to the time of Watchman's wedding, we had not had time to respond to those letters. But since the wedding was over and the turmoil had subsided, Watchman began to consider how best to answer the letters of the Brethren concerning our fellowship with them. He asked me to care for this matter, but I did not take his word. Eventually, he did it himself and asked me, another co-worker, and the three elders in Shanghai to sign the letter with him.